thornwick

[thornwick]

CHAPTER 2: Adelle

Adelle isn't just another pretty face. She once told me over a late night dinner that she might as well be a intelligently sexy Terminator cyborg in "Terminator 3: Rise of the Machines" movie. After all, she holds Master's Degrees both in Artificial Intelligence and Cybersecurity from the University of Melbourne. A talent like this could only mean one thing in our company: Adelle is put in charge as the IT Assistant Manager in Data Analytics and Cybersecurity. Her role is crucial in this digital age of industrial espionage, particularly concerning digital proprietary rights.

Adelle is not just quick-witted, but she's also very helpful. One night, I needed her help to figure out why I couldn't apply the security watermark to seal some e-books that our company was about to sell. At that time, we were only given a window period of about two months to finish selling all the new editions of Master Tax Guide, Accounting Desk Book and International Taxations. If we fail to sell these books quickly, they will be completely removed from all warehouses, thus leading to significant financial losses.

Because Adelle's responsibilities included the development and management of the company's in-house digital rights management system, I think that she'll be the most appropriate person to consult for assistance. "Ermm... Adelle, hop over. I urgently need your help now," I looked over my shoulder and I noticed that Adelle is about to head home for the evening - slinging a duffel bag on one shoulder while her laptop and tablet were neatly packed into a briefcase and rests on her other shoulder. From what I know, she'll be heading for her regular "muay thai" exercise session at night. "This girl is feisty," I mused, imagining that Adelle could also be the Catwoman who'll scratch my face off or pin me down on the floor for keeping her any longer in the office that night.

However, to my surprise, she asked with a tone of concern, "What's the matter and how can I help?" She isn't complaining, but her softening gaze revealed genuine empathy that melted me to my core. That was also one of the rare picture perfect moment that I'd like to "screenshot" for posterity. She quickly put down everything and came to my aid.

Then, she hunkered down and tried to figure out the crux of the issue. Curious, I walked towards her, peering at my laptop as she typed rapidly with graceful touches of her fingers, akin to playing a piano. "Could you give me some space?," she muttered, serious at work, but with a twitch of her nose. Her dimpled cheeks are already adorable, but the way her nose twitches when she's working? That's the real charm. Yeah...

A few keystrokes later, she met my gaze with an impish grin, laced with a hint of disapproval. "Have you updated your computer's security patch this week?," she asked. "Not yet. I updated it last week, though. Anything new I've missed?" I asked. "Plenty," she said, and when I was least expected it, her IT and computer 'lectures' began...

Apparently, I was unaware that the latest security patch for Windows 11 Professional was released this week [KB5052025] and this information had been emailed to everyone. It seemed that my common error during extremely busy workdays, was neglecting important technical emails, especially when my email inbox was swamped with an avalanche of them. As a result, misalignments occurred between my work computer's security data and Adelle's in-house DRM system, preventing me from applying security watermarks to the e-books before selling them.

Thus, I'm relying more and more on Adelle, whom I often refer to as my 'work wife,' when it comes to IT-related matters. Yeah, she's THAT good. If you get to know Adelle more intimately, you'll begin to understand the struggles that this IT prodigy had been through as a child, which shaped her into who she is today. Like any other child, there was a time in Adelle's childhood when she experienced pure, unadulterated joy daily - where every day felt like an adventure and every moment was filled with rapturous wonder.

Adelle is an only child who grew up in a well to do family in a luxurious grand villa in Hyde Park. Adelle's dad, Bill is a cybersecurity engineer for Australian Signals Directorate [ASD], who protects organizations' digital infrastructures by designing and implementing security systems and mitigating threats. Over the years, the strain of national security issues gradually increased Bill's stress and irritability, leaving him with less time for his family. In contrast to her logical and analytical spouse, Adelle's mother is a creative eco-florist, crafting stunning floral arrangements for events, retail spaces, and homes using locally grown, organic flowers and sustainable practices.

However, Adelle's childhood joy is entirely different from that of her peers. While other kids her age played outside, Adelle could often be found in the basement with her dad, Bill, tinkering with tools and assembling an eclectic assortment of gadgets. Adelle developed a natural affinity with all computer and IT systems, displaying a remarkable understanding of both hardware and software at an early age. At three, she'd already "subdued" her dad's tablet PC and at seven, her parents were already enrolling her in an IT bootcamp to learn coding.

Even though Adelle had always been close with her dad, however, she had once confided in me that she felt that something wasn't quite right when she was five years old. She even held back her tears when she recounted her story. At five years old, she was already a bubbly little girl who's full of laughter as she carried about her day. Perhaps it was this trait that made her dad getting more intimately interested in her.

One evening, Adelle's dad, Bill was busy at the basement tinkering with a new pair of bio-optical security lenses for Australian Signals Directorate [ASD]. It was 2005, three years after the horrific and devastating Bali bombings by the terrorist group Jemaah Islamiyah, and Australia still mourns the loss of approximately 88 of its citizens. IT specialists like Bill were hired to beef up Australia's internal security networks round the clock. Bill's pair of bio-optical security lenses leverage quantum holograms and nanotechnology to provide secure, multi-layered authentication that significantly enhances protection for sensitive information and high-value assets.

With his mind focused on the intricate details of miniaturizing bio-optical security lenses, Bill's train of thoughts were suddenly broken by the sound of Adelle's footsteps on the basement stairs. "Daddy, daddy, mom's got dinner ready!", said Adelle in her usually chirpy voice. "Thank you, sweetheart. Come closer, I'd like to show you what Dad's been working on.," said Bill, attempting to draw Adelle nearer to him. Adelle then hurried down the stairs and rushed to her dad.

The basement hummed, a low thrum of active servers and cooling fans, a stark contrast to the quiet of the house above. This wasn't a typical basement; it was more of a high-tech fortress, a personal command center for Bill. Thick, sound-proofed walls, painted matte black, absorbed any stray noise, creating an almost unsettling silence, broken only by the rhythmic click of keyboards.

A few monitors, with their screens displaying complex code, network diagrams, and real-time threat analysis, lined the custom-built workstation. Even Bill's workstation was a marvel of ergonomic design - with adjustable chairs, specialized keyboards, and multi-monitor setups that wrapped around Bill when he's working. Fiber optic cables, thick and glowing with internal light, snaked along the walls and ceilings, connecting a rack of powerful servers that pulsed with data. In Adelle's eyes, her dad was "Batman", and this basement was clearly his ultimate "Batcave".

When Adelle came near to her dad, he grabbed her forcefully and started to undress her. Terrified, Adelle's breath hitched when she tried to scream - the sound dying in her throat as Bill's burly hand closed over her mouth. It was not too long when Adelle's Winnie the Pooh's t-shirt and panties fell on the basement floor and Bill came inside her, relieving him of months of pent-up work stress and rewarding him with a few moments of fleeting, twisted pleasures.

In that instant, Adelle knew that her world would never be the same, even when some fragile innocence lingers. She felt broken, consumed by shame, dirtiness, and guilt. The weight of what had transpired pressed down heavily on her like a dark force crushing her spirit. Each breath felt heavier and each thought a painful reminder, intensified by her vagina's lingering soreness. The world around her seemed distant, muted - as if she were trapped behind a thick, black, impenetrable glass.

"All right, it's done," Adelle declared, and requested that I validate the fix by reapplying the security watermark to the e-books. For a moment, Adelle's remark jolted me out of a deep mental stupor. I thanked her profusely and invited her instead to sample the mouth-watering roasted duck, a signature "masterpiece" of the Yellow Pot restaurant, of which she graciously accepted. Even now, a thread of her youthful innocence remains, a fragile and beautiful quality I long each day. If possible, I would like to hold her close and offer her a love that safeguards her innocence with every fibre of my being.

[thornwick]

CHAPTER 1: Singapore Botanical Garden

I held her hand tightly, and I wasn't ever letting go. Not especially when we were on the verge of a more intimate and soulful connection. In fact, I'm eagerly looking forward to spend more time together with Adelle at Singapore Botanic Garden while sipping an iced brewed coffee. The depths of our bond had led me to believe that she's my soulmate, my twin flame, as if we were cut from the same cloth.

We're always grateful to be and share our lives with each other. Today is no exception. A gentle breeze softened the morning sunshine as we strolled hand in hand through Singapore Botanic Gardens, a cherished ritual that we both enjoyed. The air was pristine and refreshing and we might as well be dancing in "La La Land" now.

Both of us have differing tastes when it comes to gardens. I'm a history buff who grew up in Malacca, a serene city steeped in historical richness that ignited my enduring fascination with every historical thing to this day. Adelle grew up in Adelaide, a vibrant and culturally rich city in south Australia. Is it a coincidence that Adelle's name may have derived from the city that she was born? Hmm...

Personality-wise, we stand in stark contrast with each other, even though both of us are considered as "nerds" by the rest of the world. I'm the Chief Sales Coordinator for the Editorial team, an unenviable position in itself because although I largely work behind the scenes to coordinate sales activities, I'll still have to fill in for the Chief Editor when she's not around. In culinary terms, I'm akin to an all-rounder, "swing chef". Why? Simply because I'm also a published author of at least 20 books under my name and a few pseudonyms. Talking about a hardcore "nerd", right?

Adelle is also a "nerd" in her own way, of which I shall gladly explain to you much later in the narrative. [For now, just don't tell her I mentioned that, if you want to save yourself some claw marks on your face.] Introverted nerds like us don't prefer to hang out in pubs, karaokes or bars, which are often too loud for our liking. Nevertheless, we both enjoy visiting Singapore Botanical Garden for entirely different purposes of our own.

Singapore Botanical Garden is the only recognized tropical botanical garden on the UNESCO World Heritage List. Established in 1859, this garden played an important role in the region's rubber trade boom in the early 20th century. Since Singapore was a part of Malaya [now Malaysia], some major historical "slices" were mutually shared between residents of these two countries. Whenever I visit Singapore's Botanic Garden, I look forward to learn more about Ridley Hall, as it's the building used by Henry Nicholas Ridley, the former Director of Singapore Botanical Garden who developed efficient rubber tapping techniques which transformed Malaya into a major global producer of natural rubber.

From a historically aesthetic perspective, I'm also inclined to linger at the Evolution Garden too, especially when this garden provides both a visually stunning experience and an insightful exploration of plant evolution. Besides displaying the chronology of plant evolution, visitors like me are also engaged to learn more about paleobotany and the evolution process as well. Unlike me, Adelle took after her mom in loving orchids.

In many ways, Adelle was simply too perfect for a rookie in my company, Booker's Publishing. Located in Singapore, Booker's Publishing is a small time publishing company since 1826, under the Stamford Raffles' administration. Throughout the decades, Booker's had merged with other major companies across Asia to strengthen its position and evolve its product offerings to eventually become an information powerhouse particularly in Business, Management and Economic practice areas.

"James, what are you staring at?," Adelle spoke loud enough to startle me a little. I turned and looked at her sheepishly. Perhaps I could tell her that I couldn't stop staring at the Cattleya Orchid in front of us with its vibrant hues of bright colors, but we know that it's all a lie. What's not a lie is how beautiful she looked, even when our skins were glistening with sweat in the humid afternoon. Even God couldn't have crafted a much more petite and delicate creation.

Just like Cattleya Orchid is the Queen of all orchids, I sensed that Adelle could be the queen of my heart one day. Could this be my hormones talking or just my infatuation? Whether this fantasy will eventually materialize or not is subjected to the unpredictable moving pieces in the game of life. But right now, the only thing that moves in kitten heels around me and into my heart is Adelle. [If only I can just wait till sunset and find a secluded patch in the garden to spoon her...]

"Come on, James. I always know that you want me since the first day you laid eyes on me," said Adelle with a vixen smirk on her face and bringing me back to reality. "What would you say if we could switch bodies for a day, huh? I'll let you have a taste of how it feels to be admired and idolized," she continued teasingly while patting the bald patch on my head gently, as if I'm her teddy bear. I always feel like I'm the 'beast' pairing up with 'beauty'. And no, we're not in any of Disney's animated series, if you knew what I meant."

With her porcelain skin, dimpled cheeks, and casually tousled hair, Adelle, in her black t-shirt, exuded an effortless, girl-next-door appeal that'll lower the guard of even the most Stoic guy. Partially fuelled by caffeine, I held myself back from the thought of my lips melding with her sensuous lips and sucking every moisture of "nectars" within. The fact that she prefers to go out with a 44 year old Asian me still baffles me to this day, especially when she's an Australian girl half my age.